Creamy Coconut and Roasted Tomato Soup

Roasting Vegetables:
4 1/2 pounds roma tomatoes
1 large yellow onion
3 garlic bulbs
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Soup:
1 can light coconut milk
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-2 teaspoons garam masala spice (add gradually, to taste)
Baguette (or appropriate GF substitute)
 
Preheat the oven 400°F on a convection setting.

Wash the tomatoes and slice them lengthwise, place them on a large baking sheet that has been greased with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in oven for about 40-60 minutes. You want them to look wrinkly with most of the water evaporated out.

Find a medium sized casserole dish that has a lid and spray with non stick cooking spray. Cut the onion into wedges and add to the casserole dish. Cut the bottom off the bulbs of garlic to expose the inner garlic cloves, add the bulbs to the same dish as the onions. Drizzle with a little olive oil, pop the lid on the casserole dish, and bake until the onions start to turn golden and the garlic is caramelized, roughly 40 minutes.

Now that the vegetables have finished roasting the tomatoes should have shrunk down to about 3 cups. In a large stock pot add the roasted tomatoes and the roasted onions. Once the garlic has cooled enough to handle, squeeze the cloves out of two of the bulbs and into the stock pot. Add in the coconut milk, tomato paste, broth, and spices- bring to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, slice the baguette lengthwise and then into 3-inch pieces, drizzle with some olive oil and salt. Squeeze the cloves of garlic out of the remaining bulb and spread it evenly over the baguette pieces. Bake in oven for five minutes, and then broil for another 2.

Carefully transfer soup to blender and pulse for a few seconds, leaving a few chunks here and there.  Serve with a piece of garlic baguette.

Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows

Mushroom Stout Pie with Potato Biscuits

I'm just going to go flat out and say it, although I adore everything the queen of vegan cooking, Isa Chandra, stands for, I don't always adore her recipes. I find them to be very hit or miss. But she is pioneering her way into bookstores with her top selling cook books like Vegan with a Vengeance, Veganomicon, and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World- just to name a few. I've been wanting to make this recipe of hers for a while, and a year later- phew- I did it! Honestly, this isn't hard to make, but the thought of schlepping to Total Wine to find a non-Guinness stout was enough to keep me away. I'll totally be making this one again, it is the perfect dish for cold winter weather (not that I can expect much of that down South).

For the stew: 
1 oz dried porcini or mix blend mushrooms
3 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried thyme
5 carrots (about 1/2 pound), peeled, sliced into thin half moons
1 1/4 cups stout beer (Caution: many stouts are not vegan friendly, like Guinness,  click here for a list of stouts and their vegan friendly status)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 15 oz BPA-free cans of kidney beans, rinsed and drained

For the biscuits:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup leftover mashed potatoes (refer to bottom for instructions on what to do if you don't have leftover mashed potatoes)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cold water

Make the stew:
Tear the dried mushrooms into bite sized pieces if they aren't already that size. Stick the mushrooms in a large bowl. Boil the vegetable broth, then pour the hot broth over the dried mushrooms and cover with a plate or lid to keep it hot. This step is crucial for re-hydrating the mushrooms. Meanwhile, prep (all the dicing and mincing and such) everything you need for the recipe.

In a stock pot saute the onions in some oil over medium heat until translucent, 4-7 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add in the sliced fresh mushrooms, celery, thyme, rosmary, and saute for 5 more minutes, until the mushrooms release their liquids and they start to brown a little. Add in the carrots, stout, tomato paste, black pepper, and salt- boil for three minutes. Add in the dried mushrooms along with the broth they've been re-hydrating in. Cover and bring to a full boil for about five minutes, this will finish cooking the dried mushrooms. Careful not to burn the bottom of the stew, stir on occasion.

Now that the dried mushrooms are soft, in a measuring cup combine the flour with one cup of cold water and whisk with a fork until it is clump-free. Turn the heat down to medium and slowly add in water/flour mixture into the pot, mixing as your pour it in. Allow to thicken for five minutes before adding the kidney beans and removing from heat.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. 

Make the biscuits:
In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. In a separate bowl mix together the mashed potatoes, olive oil and water. It should be very liquidy and mushy. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the potato mixture. Mix with a fork until a stiff dough starts to form, then turn the dough on to a cleaned counter and knead a few times to smooth out. I flattened my dough out to about 3/4 of an inch thick, next time I would make it thicker (maybe to 1.5 inches) since it didn't rise as much as I expected it to. Cut the dough into pieces, mine are sloppy, large, and awkwardly shaped, you can probably do a better job than I did...

Spray a large casserole dish with nonstick spray. Pour the prepared stew into the casserole dish and line the top with the biscuits you just made. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned on top, let sit for 15 minutes before serving.

*If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes: don't panic! Isa says: "to make about the cup called for here, microwave a russet potato, and mash with 1/4 cup unsweetened vegan milk, 2 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt. Let cool, then measure and use!"

Comfort Mac

For a long time I didn't know if I should blog this. It's not quite a Mac and Cheese, not quite a pasta sauce. It just is. It's my go-to pasta. It's what I make when I just want to lounge around all day, it's what I make when I'm too busy to actually cook something, and it's what I make often when my friend and I are having Girl's Night and get hungry around midnight. It's my go to Mac, and it has been for a year now. It's savory and rich and perfect. You'll just have to trust me on this one. When it's rainy or cold or snowy, or you're just lounging or lazy, then you will make this and then understand why it's been a staple of mine for so long.

2 cups small pasta (elbows, shells, orecchiette, etc. I often use GF pasta for this when I have it on hand)
1/4 cup plant-based butter
1/3 cup nutrional yeast
1 tablespoon Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
3/4 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large handfuls baby greens mix, like this

Cook your pasta so it's al dente. In a saute pan melt the butter, then add the yeast, braggs, dijon, and garlic powder and mixture until everything is incorporated. It looks chunky and strange, but it tastes heavenly so just have faith. Add your strained pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Lastly toss in your baby greens and mix, then divide into bowls and serve.

This recipe makes enough for 2 fairly large portions.

Recipe adapted from my friend Anna Bailey

Yard House Mac and Cheese: Vegan Style

I've never been to Yard House but apparently their Mac and Cheese is on point. My friend Anna veganized their recipe and passed it on to me. It is so damn good. Seriously. Delicious. My brother insists I make it as a side dish for Thanksgiving, and although that won't be happening I will be making this again as a quick and easy dinner.

1 lb elbow/shell pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour (or chickpea flour if you're GF)
3 cups plant-based milk (I used the carton coconut milk because I had it on hand, but almond or soy would work as well)
8 ounces Pepper Jack Daiya wedge or shreds
8 ounces Cheddar Daiya wedge or shreds
1 cup bread (preferably day old sourdough/bakery breads)
2 boxes Crimini mushrooms
Salt and Pepper
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Optional: Bacon Bits (yes, they're vegan! Crazy, huh?)
Optional: Truffle Oil

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Cook the pasta until slightly under done, then drain and set aside.

Cut the cheeze wedges into little cubes, set aside. Take the bread and place it in a food processor and blend until crumbly, set aside.

In a large sauce pain melt the butter over medium heat, once melted whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, bring to a boil and remove from heat- add the cheddar and jack handfuls at a time along with salt, cayenne, and black pepper to taste. Once all the cheese is melted pour the pasta into the sauce. It's going to look like an absurd amount of sauce, but it works out perfectly, have some faith.

Lightly spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray, pour the cheesy pasta and all of the sauce into the casserole dish. Toss your bread crumbles with the garlic powder and layer it on top of the pasta and bake for 20 minutes.

While your pasta is baking, quarter the mushrooms and saute them for just a couple minutes, so they still have a nice bite to them but have lost much of their water weight. When the pasta comes out of the oven serve it with a scoop of the mushrooms, optional bacon bits, and a drizzle of truffle oil.

*I made this again with 6 oz daiya mozzarella shreds, 2 oz daiya cheddar shreds, and 8 ounces daiya pepper jack shreds and it was so insanely good. Almost like a more 'sophisticated' mac, but that's just my opinion!

Purple Potato Mash with Rosemary and Caramelized Onions

I love mashed potatoes, I am totally a carb and comfort food kind of girl. When I discovered I had gorgeous purple potatoes in my basket this week from the food co-op I knew I wanted to do a mash.

1 1/2 pounds purple potatoes
Kosher salt
1/2 cup almond milk
4 tablespoons non-dairy butter
4 tablespoons rosemary, chopped finely
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large white onion, sliced into half moons
1 tablespoon garlic, minced

In a large pot filled with cool water add the potatoes and a large pinch of kosher salt, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking for 25 minutes or until potatoes are very tender. Meanwhile, In a saucepan over medium-low heat add the milk, garlic, and rosemary to seep. In a separate saute pan add the olive oil and onions, cook for 10-15 minutes, until caramelized, over medium heat. Remove the carmelized onions from the heat and chop them into little pieces. Once potatoes are done, drain them and place them in a bowl along with the butter and mash the potatoes using a potato masher. Then, using an electric beater whip the potatoes as you pour in the milk mixture. Once the potatoes are at the consistency of your liking fold the onions in, add salt to taste, and serve!

Recipe adapted from Daphne Oz